A THOUSAND-YEAR PINE 



but late in 1811 or early in 1812, I 

 think there is no doubt that he experi- 

 enced a violent shock, for he made ex- 

 tensive records of it. This earthquake 

 occurred after the sap had cea^sed to 

 flow in 1811, and before it began to 

 flow in the spring of 1812. In places 

 the wood was checked and shattered. 

 At one point, some distance from the 

 ground, there was a bad horizontal 

 break. Two big roots were broken in 

 two, and that quarter of the tree which 

 faced the cliffs had suffered from a rock 

 bombardment. I suppose the violence 

 of the quake displaced many rocks, 

 and some of these, as they came 

 bounding down the mountain-side, 

 collided with Old Pine. One, of about 

 five pounds' weight, struck him so 

 violently in the side that it remained 



29 



